What happened with the Network Solutions data breach

Network Solutions suffered an extended data breach in August where a third-party gained unauthorized access to the NetSol computer systems. The breach was uncovered in October. Who knows what has happened in between and how many accounts and domain names have been affected.

Network Solutions is one of the worst domain name registrars (and one of the most expensive ones too) so unless you purchased a domain name in the past 2 months you shouldn’t be using it anyway. Move all your domains ASAP!

Here is what Network Solutions has shared with the public so far:

What Happened?
On October 16, 2019, Network Solutions determined that a third-party gained unauthorized access to a limited number of our computer systems in late August 2019, and as a result, account information may have been accessed. No credit card data was compromised as a result of this incident.

Upon discovery of this unauthorized access, the company immediately began working with an independent cybersecurity firm to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the scope of the incident, including the specific data impacted. We have also reported the intrusion to federal authorities and are notifying affected customers.

Safeguarding our customers’ information is core to our mission. We are committed to protecting our customers against misuse of their information and have invested heavily in cybersecurity. We will continue to do so as we incorporate the key learnings of this incident to further strengthen our cyber defenses.

What Information Was Involved?
Our investigation indicates that account information for current and former Network Solutions customers may have been accessed. This information includes contact details such as name, address, phone numbers, email address and information about the services that we offer to a given account holder. We encrypt credit card numbers and no credit card data was compromised as a result of this incident.

What Are We Doing?
Upon discovery, Network Solutions took immediate steps to stop the intrusion. We promptly engaged a leading independent cybersecurity firm to investigate and determine the scope of the incident. We notified the proper authorities and began working with federal law enforcement.

We are notifying affected customers through email and via our website, and as an additional precaution are requiring all users to reset their account passwords.

What You Can Do
We have taken additional steps to secure your account, and you will be required to reset your password the next time you log in to your Network Solutions account. As with any online service or platform, it is also good security practice to change your password often and use a unique password for each service.

For More Information
For more information visit notice.networksolutions.com or call 1-866-906-0477 or for international, call +1-570-708-8785.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened?

On October 16, 2019, Network Solutions determined that a third-party gained unauthorized access to a limited number of our computer systems in late August 2019, and as a result, account information may have been accessed. No credit card data was compromised as a result of this incident.

What are you doing about it?

Upon discovery, we took immediate steps to stop the intrusion. We promptly engaged a leading independent cybersecurity firm to investigate and determine the scope of the incident. We notified the proper authorities and began working with federal law enforcement.

We are notifying affected customers through email and via our website, and as an additional precaution are requiring all users to reset their account passwords.

What data/information was involved?

Our investigation indicates that account information for current and former Network Solutions customers may have been accessed. This information includes contact details such as name, address, phone numbers, email address and information about the services that we offer to a given account holder.

We encrypt credit card numbers and no credit card data was compromised as a result of this incident.

What can I do to protect my account?

We have already taken additional steps to secure your account, and there is nothing you need to do at this time. The next time you log in to your account you will be required to reset your password.

As with any online service or platform, it is also good security practice to change your password often and use a unique password for each service.

Is my credit card information at risk?

We store credit card numbers in a PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant encryption standard and do not believe your credit card information is vulnerable as a specific result of this incident. That said, it is good practice to monitor your credit card account and we encourage you to notify your credit card provider if you see any suspicious charges.

Should I reset my password as part of this?

We have already taken additional steps to secure your account, and there is nothing you need to do at this time. The next time you log in to your account you will be required to reset your password.

As with any online service or platform, it is good security practice to change your password often and use a unique password for each service.

About Konstantinos Zournas

I studied Computer Engineering and Computer Science in London, UK and now live in Athens, Greece. I love domains and building websites. I am online since 1995, learned about HTML in 1996 and about domains in 2002. I started publishing the OnlineDomain.com blog in 2012.

Received the email regarding my NetSol account (which only exists because of dropcatching) a few minutes ago. Days after reading it on the news (and obviously months after it actually happened)! So unless I was in the last batch, I’m assuming there’s still plenty of users who have not been notified yet.